Golf club attachment for practicing free swings



June 15, 1954 P. H. DE VRlES GOLF CLUB ATTACHMENT FOR PRACTICING FREE SWINGS Filed Nov. 28, 1951 INVENTOR. Peier H De vries. B Y

Patented June 15, 1954 GOLF CLUB ATT ACHMENT FOR PRACTICING FREE SWINGS Peter H. De Vries, Washington, D. 0. Application November 28, 1951, Serial No. 258,552

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the game of golf and is more particularly concerned with practice devices for improving personal efficiency in swinging the clubs used in playing the game.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a device which can be used to practice golf swings without employing a golf ball, thereby obviating the necessity of retrieving a ball with each swing.

Another object is the provision of a device of the type mentioned which is corrective to the eX- tent that after the swing has been made, it furnishes an indication as to whether it was a perfect inside-out swing, a near perfect inside-out swing, or an outside-in or otherwise faulty swing.

A further object of the invention is a device of the type mentioned which can be readily and simply attached to the head of an ordinary golf club thereby permitting its use by golfers while waiting their turns to tee off on a golf course.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of such a removable device which is light in weight and so constructed that its attachment to the golf club will not appreciably alter the feel of the club with respect to a horizontal shifting of the center of gravity of the club head or a change in the horizontal radius of gyration.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a device for practicing free golf swings comprising a sole plate, means for removably attaching the plate to the bottom of a golf club, an L-shaped member attached to the bottom of the plate, said member having one or more horizontal, rearwardly tapered notches, each of which is adapted to receive and grip the neck of a golf tee.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description considered together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a device comprising an embodiment of this invention as it appears attached to an ordinary golf club;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the same embodiment in relation to a golf tee; and

Fig. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the same embodiment, apart from the golf club.

Referring with more particularity to the draw ing in which like numerals designate like parts, the embodiment illustrated comprises a horizontal sole plate H adapted to fit and be disposed on the bottom of a golf club head 12 of the wood type. The plate II has an upwardly extending abutment flange l3, the front of which lies flush against the face it of the club head. The device is held in this position by means of a. wide elastic strap or band [5, or other suitable adjustable means, such as a strap and buckle (not shown). The strap is attached to the device by being threaded through a front slot it formed in an outwardly projecting member I! integral with the flange l3 and a rear slot l8 formed in a downwardly projecting member l9 integral with the sole plate i I at the rear thereof.

Also integral with the sole plate II is an L shaped member 20 having a vertical portion 2| projecting downwardly from the back of the plate H and a horizontal portion 22 projecting forwardly from the bottom of said portion 2|, the upper face of which is somewhat concave to provide a cradle for the head of a golf tee.

The portion 22 is provided in the form of a rake with two horizontal notches 23 and 24 in side by side relation. The notch 23 is positioned in a vertical plane perpendicular to the face M and passing through the target center thereof, being the normal point of contact of the face M with a golf ball when a substantially perfect hit is made. The other notch 24 is adjacent the notch 23 on the inside thereof, that is, toward the heel or club shaft 25. The notches 23 and 24 will, therefore, be in a position to engage a tee when a perfect or near perfect inside-out swing is executed. The portion 22 terminates abruptly on the outer sides of the notches 23 and 24.

The front end of the device is preferably provided with a pair of ground guards 26 and 21 at the sides to ground the club when low swings are executed and thereby prevent damage to the member 29. It is preferred that the guard 26 nearest the center notch 23 be spaced laterally therefrom a distance sufiicient to permit a golf tee to pass unobstructed between the guard and the outer edge of the portion 22 in the direction in which the club is normally swung.

The notches 23 and 24 are wedge-shaped or tapered rearwardly, so as to receive and firmly grip the neck 28 of a golf tee 29, when the head 30 of the tee is in the space above the portion 22.

By the use of this device, a golf swing can be executed and its effectiveness indicated as to di rection without actually using a golf ball. The device is simply slipped over the head of the club, as shown, the elastic band l5 holding it in place. A golf tee is then placed in the ground in the position it would normally occupy, if a golf ball were to be placed on it, as shown in Fig. 2. The club is then swung at an imaginary golf ball on the tee. If it is a perfect or a near perfect inside-out swing, the tee will be caught in one of the notches 23 and 24. If it is a faulty outside-in swing, it will not be caught by either notch. However, the device may be modified by using only one of the notches.

The device is preferably made of very light material, such as light plastic, aluminum or magnesium alloy, so as not to add materially to the weight of the club. Also the members 13, I1, I9, 20, 26 and 2? are proportioned and positioned so that the center of gravity of the device as a whole is vertically below the center of mass of the club head 22 or as near as possible thereto, so as to obviate or reduce to a minimum any change in the horizontal radius of gyration of the club head and thereby maintain as closely as possible the normal feel of the club.

From the above description, it is apparent that the device can be used either on golf courses, or other outdoor places, particularly when waiting to tee ofi, or in confined places, such as in the home, without endangering anyone or any property. When being used in the home, the tee may be turned upside down to rest on the floor in an upright position or special tees for this purpose having wide bottom support may be provided, if desired.

Apart from its use in perfecting golf swings, the device may also be used in a new game of skill by assigning score values to the notches and totaling a given number of swings on the basis of these values when tees are caught in the notches.

It is to be understood that the embodiment illustrated and described above is a preferred embodiment, but that it is not the only embodiment in which the invention may be incorporated and that various changes, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A device for practicin golf swings comprisin a member havin a dependent element provided with at least one rearwardly convergent horizontal notch adapted to receive and grip the neck of a golf tee and means for attaching said member to the bottom of a golf club with the dependent element vertically spaced from said bottom.

2. In combination with a golf club, a member attached to the club, said member having a dependent element provided with at least one rearwardly convergent horizontal notch vertically spaced from the bottom of the club.

3. A device for practicing golf swings comprising a sole plate, means for removably attaching said plate to the bottom of a golf club, a member attached to the bottom of said plate andextending horizontally forward, said member having a dependentelement provided with at least one rearwardly convergent horizontal notch vertically spaced from said plate, said notch being adapted to receive and grip the neck of a golf tee and being positioned on the plate for alignment with the target center of the club face when the device is attached to the club head.

4. A device for practicing golf swings comprising a sole plate, means for removably attaching said plate to the bottom of a golf club, a member attached to the bottom of said plate, said member having a dependent element provided with rearwardly convergent horizontal notches vertically spaced from said plate, said notches being adapted to receive and grip the neck of a golf tee below the head.

5. A device for practicing golf swings comprising a sole plate, means for removably attaching said plate to the bottom of a golf club, a member attached to the bottom of said plate, said member having a dependent element provided with rearwardly convergent, horizontal notches, said notches being adapted to receive and grip the neck of a golf tee below the head, one of said notches being positioned for alignment with the target center of the club face when the device is attached to the club head.

6. A device for practicing golf swings compris ing a horizontal sole plate removably disposed on the bottom of a golf club, a vertical flange extending upwardly from the plate to'engage the face of the club, an elastic band secured at one end to said flange and at the opposite end to the bottom of the plate, an L-shaped member attached to the bottom of said plate, said member having at least one rearwardly convergent notch vertically spaced from the plate, said notch being of a size to receive and grip the neck of a golf tee below the head, and being positioned on the plate for alignment with the target center of the club face when the device is attached to the club head.

'7. A device for practicing golf swings comprisin an L-shaped member having a vertical element and a horizontal element secured to the bottom of the vertical element, said horizontal element having a horizontal notch vertically spaced from the upper end of the vertical element, the sides of the notch converging rearwardly, and means for connecting the upper end of the verticalelement to the bottom of a golf club.

References Cited in the 'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 25, 1951 

